Calypso's Island
by Julie Anna Tennant
Summary: What if Nico ended up on Calypso's island instead of Leo? And what if she found out about his love for Percy? Prompt I got on Tumblr. Two-shot.
1. Part I

**Disclaimer:** I don't own PJO and HoO, Rick Riordan does. And I'm not getting any money by writing this story either. :)

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**Calypso's Island**

_by Julie Anna Tennant_

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'Where the fuck am I?' was the first thing Nico thought when he woke up, completely alone, in the middle of an island. He had no fucking clue of where he was, he just remembered being attacked by a monster and taken away from the Argo II. His head hurt and his back ached like hell. The sun was annoying and that sand was worse. The damn thing was getting into places it shouldn't.

The son of Hades looked at his surrounds, trying to figure which island was that. It didn't look like a normal island. The sand was too white. The sea was too blue and sparkling. And, of course, the whole atmosphere was kind of magical. It was like the island had a sign with "TOTALLY MAGICAL" written on it.

Without any better idea, the boy got up and went to explore the place. He really needed to find somewhere with shadows, so he could shadow travel and get the hell out of that place. He left the shore and went straight to the jungle. But as soon as he got there, he noticed something extremely odd. There were no shadows on that place! The sun was high in the sky, there was lots of threes and stuff, but no freaking shadow. How was it even possible? Fucking island!

"Who are you?" a voice behind him asked.

Nico grabbed his sword in a quick move and turned to face the person. It was a girl. A pretty girl, with cinnamon brown hair and big doe-almond eyes. Her skin was tan, probably by spending her days on that island and her face was incredibly beautiful and delicate. Nico realized immediately which island was that.

"No. Not THIS island" he growled "Fuck! I'm gonna die in here!"

"Who are you?" the girl asked again, ignoring his complains.

She didn't look like someone who was enjoying that situation. Actually, she looked extremely annoyed.

"Nico di Angelo" he said, without much development.

"Great! And I bet you're a demigod. Why the gods hate me so much? I'm tired of this stupid curse."

"You're Calypso, right?"

"Yeah."

That's when Nico realized that Calypso was not annoyed. She was furious. But he couldn't blame her. The son of Hades knew about her tale and curse. And honestly? She had every right to be mad at the gods.

"Look, I don't want to bother you. I just want to get out of here" he told.

To his surprise, she chuckled. A low, lyrical sound, but completely humorless.

"You can't" she informed "You're stuck here until I fall in love with you. Sorry."

And that was the moment that Nico started to panic.

- xXxXx -

He had a hard time accepting what Calypso told him. Gods! That was so unfair. He had to make Capyso fall in love if him and break her heart so he could get out of that fucking island. But the thing was, he didn't want to hurt her feelings. Or make her fall in love with him. For Hades sake, how sick that curse was?

But besides their _awesome_ situation, Calypso helped him. She took him in and gave him food and shelter. She was so kind, even knowing what would probably happen in the future. And in return for her kindness, Nico tried to help her the best he could. He helped her with her garden, watering the plants and fruit trees, or assisted her while making dinner and stuff.

They worked together the whole day and, by night, they would sit by the fire and talk about their lives. It's true that Calypso was the one who did almost all the talking, but Nico didn't mind listening to her. And as he got to know her better, he realized he really hated the gods for what they did to her.

Three days after he arrived at the island, Nico sat by the fire with Calypso and listened her talking about one of her last heartbreaks. At those moments, he never said anything. Nico would just stay quiet, giving her the chance to talk freely.

"You know, what? I'm tired of talking about myself." she said abruptly "Tell me about yourself, Nico. I mean, something other than the whole son of Hades, demigod deal."

Her request was not a strange one, but Nico was kind of unsure if he wanted to share his history with that girl. Sure, she was helping him, but was that reason enough for him to trust her? Oh, well, what other choice did he have? The boy shrugged.

"I had a sister, Bianca. She was older than me." He told her, looking at the fire.

"What happened to her?"

Of course Calypso would ask him that. Why the fuck did he talked about Bianca? He should totally have chosen another subject, but fuck it! He had already started.

"She died on a quest. She was one of Artemis Huntresses. One of my… colleagues promised to protect her, but failed and she ended up dying."

Oh fuck! Fuck! Fuck! His eyes were burning with tears. NO WAY! He was _not_ going to cry in front of Calypso.

"You blame this… colleague of yours, don't you? For your sister's death." She said, softly "I can see you do."

He shook his head, never looking at Calypso. He really didn't want her to see him on that state. He didn't want to look vulnerable.

"I did for some time, but it seems that I can't hate this person. Bloody Hades, I wanted to hate this person so badly, it would be so much easier."

At that time, Nico was talking more to himself than to Calypso. They stayed in silence for some time. It was not an awkward silence, it was just… silence. There was nothing left to say, so they didn't try to force a conversation.

"Why do you say it would be easier to hate this person?" Calypso asked, after sometime "Easier to whom?"

Nico looked at her for the first time since they started talking. A sad smile adorning his lips.

"To me" he answered simply "It's complicated."

At first, Calypso seemed confused and the lack of information from Nico didn't help her figuring out what he was talking about. But of course she came to the conclusion not so long after.

"You're in love with her!" she said surprised "Even after breaking the promise, you still love this girl. I'm so sorry, Nico."

Nico chuckled. He didn't know why, 'cause that was not a funny situation, but he chuckled nonetheless. Of course Calypso thought he was talking about a girl. He was a son of Hades, the King of Ghosts, heir of the Underworld… how someone with such titles could possibly be gay?

He wandered if he should kept his secret and let Calypso believe he loved a girl. That would certainly be a plausible idea, but that girl was being so kind to him, that lying to her seemed so wrong. Nico didn't want to fool her, she didn't deserve that. So he chose the hard option.

"The thing is, it's not a girl I'm in love with. It's a guy."

**_TBC_**


	2. Part II

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HoO, Rick Riordan does. And I'm not getting any money by writing it.**

**A/N: Okay, so I just came to the conclusion that this is the best fandom I've ever joined. You're all so kind! Guest, Edna and Person, thanks for the beautiful reviews. I hope you like this chapter. :)**

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**Calypso's Island - Part II**

It took Calypso several seconds to process had Nico had just said to her. He was in love with a _guy_? Nico was _gay_? My gods, their situation was even worse than she first thought! She didn't know what to say, what _could_ she say on a moment like that?

"Calypso, say something. You're freaking me out" the son of Hades said, looking at the girl expectantly.

She seemed shocked, to say the least.

"Well, I… I kind of lost my words here" she managed to say after some minutes.

They stared at each other in silence. But this time it was an awkward silence. Nico could feel that Calypso was uncomfortable.

"Who is he?" she asked.

What else could she say? Curiosity was taking over her. Now Calypso knew she had no chance with Nico. Which meant that he would probably be trapped on the island with her for gods know how long. The least she could do was get to know him better, right?

"Well, I really don't think I want to talk about it. Not right now, anyways" he answered.

And it was true. How could he tell Calypso he was in love with Percy? It had been hard enough admitting he was in love with a guy. No, he was not going to tell her. Not now.

"Okay then" Calypso agreed.

But she was disappointed, Nico could hear it in her voice.

- xXxXx -

Time was something really strange on that island. Nico felt like it's been years since he arrived, but if his counting was correct, it'd been only a week.

Things got normal again between him and Calypso. After the initial shock, the girl seemed to accept pretty well Nico's great secret. And he was very thankful when she gave him space and didn't ask about the whole 'I'm-in-love-with-a-guy' thing. Really, Nico couldn't be more relieved.

But as time passed by, he realized that Calypso was someone worth his trust. Maybe it was just because they're alone on the island and didn't have much choice, but Nico couldn't help getting fond of that poor cursed girl. She understood him, more or less; she never pressured him to get answers; she gave him time to think; most of all, she respected him.

It was because of it that, one night, during their dinner, he told her. Simple as that. They'd just finished eating, and were enjoying their comfortable silence, when Nico brought up the subject again. He never planned on doing it. It was more an impulse than anything else.

"It's Percy" he said, quietly.

Calypso looked at him seeming slightly confused, frowning.

"What about Percy?" she asked.

"The guy I'm in love with" Nico explained "It's Percy."

His heart was beating faster than usual and Nico could feel sweat forming on his hands. He shouldn't feel this nervous, it wasn't like he was admitting his feeling to Percy. 'It's just Calypso' he thought to himself, but holy Hades, he was nervous like shit.

To say Calypso was shocked wouldn't express half of what she felt at the moment. It was a mix of confusion, surprise and something else… anger? Maybe. Probably, because she didn't know what to say and she really didn't want to say anything. Nico loved Percy? Of all people? It had to be Percy? Gods, why her life had to be so fucked up? She couldn't believe her own mischance; she was stuck on an island with someone who loved the same guy she loved. Wasn't she lucky?

The girl shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts a little, and got up from the sand. She couldn't stay near Nico, at least not right now. She needed to think… alone. She needed her own space to try to accept that. Dear Zeus, she didn't even know what she was thinking.

"Wait, where are you going?" Nico asked alarmed, when Calypso stood up.

She turned to him, but her eyes looked anywhere but at the boy. And realizing that broke Nico's heart.

"I'm going back to my cave, I need to think" she said in a hurry.

Calypso just wanted to get the hell out of there.

Her answer made Nico get to his feet quickly. He reached Calypso before she had time to escape and grabbed her arm.

"Don't run away from me" he said hurt "Don't treat me like I'm a freak, not you. I'm being honest with you, more than I've ever have with anyone. Don't do this to me."

She stared at him, holding his gaze for a great amount of time. Calypso knew she was hurting her new friend; she knew Nico had already suffered plenty of heart breakings, even if he hardly talked about it, but she was so confused. He released her arm, when Calypso stayed still.

"You're not a freak, but I can't stay near you right now." She said bluntly "Gods Nico, if it was anyone else, I would accept, but Percy? It's too much for me. I don't even know if I'm over him yet and now you say that you love him. How do you expect me to react?"

He looked at the ground, trying to find the words to answer his friend, but failing miserably. He knew Calypso was right, that she needed her time to accept the news, but it still pained him so much that she didn't want to stay next to him.

"I thought that maybe you'd understand me?"

He would never admit it out loud, but Nico did expected Calypso to comprehend him, to accept him… the way he knew Bianca would. But Calypso wasn't Bianca and it was foolish of him to expect anything from her. His eyes tingled with tears, and yet Nico refuse to cry. He was better than that; he was not weak.

Calypso touched his face lightly, offering him a sad smile.

"I'll try, but I need time" she told him softly "I'm sorry."

And without saying another word, she left Nico on the beach, having just the sea for company.

- xXxXx -

For days Nico kept his distance; he avoided going back to talk to Calypso as someone would avoid the plague. He opted on staying at the beach, even knowing that the sight of the ocean would just break his heart more. And as he had plenty of time to spear, Nico pondered about his life and what he should do to get out of that island. Making Calypso fall in love with him was ridiculous, especially now that he had already told her about his feeling for Percy. He tried to use his powers once more, but as expected that didn't work either. He was already considering the idea of getting away of there by swimming when Calypso showed up at the beach again.

It was the morning of his tenth day at Ogygia – if his counting was still correct – and the sun was annoyingly bright as usual. Nico had been camping on the beach since he and Calypso last talked and, thanks to that, his skin was a lot tanner than usual; he didn't like it. She approached him silently as a ghost and Nico just noticed her presence when she was already beside him.

She sat next to him on the sand, crossing her legs, but said nothing. Nico felt like saying something, but ended up deciding against it. He looked briefly at the brunet beside him, before turning his gaze to the vast ocean in front of him. The way the sun shone on its surface was stunning, almost hypnotizing, but it was calming too. It gave the boy a strange feeling of safety he hardly felt.

"I get it, you know?" Calypso said long minutes later "Why you love him."

Nico tensed a little, not sure if he should say something or not. He didn't, just nodded shortly.

"It's the same reason I still love him" she continued, realizing her friend wasn't going to talk any time soon "He's amazing and heroic and handsome and charming. He has quite a good amount of qualities, doesn't he? Like, it's impossible not to fall for him."

She touched his shoulder and Nico looked at her for the first time since she started talking. Her beautiful face was showing confidence and her almond eyes shone with comprehension.

"It's okay" she said "It took me a while to realize it, but it _is_ okay. We _are_ friends and it's my job to stay with you when you need me. That's what friends do."

To Calypso entire shock, Nico hugged her. He didn't say a word, just hugged her. And she embraced him back, holding him dearly, until she felt his whole body relax on her arms. He hid his face on her hair, as he used to do with his sister when she comforted him.

"Thank you" he mumbled against her neck.

"There's nothing to thank for" Calypso replied, caressing his black curls.

It was just when they separated from the hug that both of them noticed the raft floating in the shore. Nico's mouth got dry just by the sight of it. Did that mean that Calypso was… no, it couldn't be.

"Why is this… how is it…" he murmured incoherently, looking from the raft to Calypso completely confused.

"I'm not in love with you, but I do love you, Nico. Not in a romantically way, but it's still love" she said simply "Looks like this is enough."

He didn't know what to do. Sure, he wanted to go back to the others; he _had_ to go back. He was the only one who knew where the Doors of Death were and only he could lead the others on their quest. He _had_ promised Percy he would do it. But wasn't easier for him to just stay on Ogygia with Calypso? She understood him, more than anyone – beside Bianca – had ever had. He could be happy there… couldn't he?

Calypso made the choice for him. She grabbed him by the hand and led him to the shore.

"Come on, you have to go quickly" she said.

Nico stopped when they reached the shore line.

"But, I don't want to" he said.

And he realized it was true. He didn't want to go anymore. Not now that he had someone who understood him; someone who loved him. Why would he sacrifice an opportunity? He had already sacrificed himself a lot of times and everything he ever got was pain and heartbreaking.

Calypso seemed to know what he was thinking, 'cause she smiled at him.

"You have to go, Nico. Percy needs you" she said.

Right in the heart. She did knew what he was thinking.

"He has Annabeth with him. And the others can find a way to the Doors of Death without me."

"Yes they can, but if you don't go, you'll never forgive yourself. You'll never know if the man you love is alive or not. This doubt will hunt you for the rest of your days and you won't be happy… not completely."

She was right again, of course. But knowing it didn't prevent Nico from hesitating.

"Go! I'll be fine" Calypso assured.

Nico hugged her once more and, with that gesture, Calypso knew he was leaving her. She kissed him on the cheek, leading her friend to the raft and helping him getting on it.

"I'll come back to you when everything is over" he promised "I'll find a way to get you out of here."

"Of course you will." Calypso said, waving goodbye.

But deep down, she knew she would never see Nico again. He was just another heartbreak on her endless list and, ironically, he would probably be the one she could never get over.

_**~FINIS**_

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Worth any review?

_**Julie Anna Tennant**_


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